A Greek in Rome
by Warrior Of The 12th
Summary: Taken from his mother at birth, Perseus will struggle to prove his worth to the Romans as the hidden Greek among them. Raised among wolves, living in the shadow of the son of Jupiter, Percy will face many challenges in his quest to find his place in New Rome and discover the truth along the way.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: A Path Chosen**

It was a brisk summer night across the state of New York as Artemis drove her chariot across the night sky. The sound of cars, and the bustle of Manhattan fill the streets of the city. Beknown to the eyes of mortals, a godly presence was in these very streets.

Poseidon, god of the seas, stalked through the streets of downtown Manhattan. It appeared that he was in a hurry, striding purposefully down the sidewalk. Eventually he reached his destination, a busy hospital in the heart of the city.

This was where Sally Jackson was giving birth to a baby. This wasn't unusual in a hospital, it happened daily, but the child was anything but a normal child. As a loud, piercing cry entered the night Poseidon walked into the hospital room in which the baby was just born in.

"Can I hold him, just for a bit?" he asked Sally. Handing over the baby boy, with tears in her eyes, not just from the pain of childbirth, but from the hurtful truth that she will be a single mother.

"How much longer can you stay?" she asked sorrowfully. "I must leave now. I'm so sorry Sally, I wish this could work out different, but the longer I stay, the better the chance Zeus finds you. Just remind Percy that, even though I won't be here physically, I will always love him and you also." With that he turned out the door and left the building with tears in his eyes.

Heartbroken, Sally silently cried over her newborn child. She had thought of a name for her boy, one that a hero with good fortune once was named, Perseus.

But her thoughts of her child were interrupted when Poseidon came back through the door. "Poseidon, is that you?" she croaked desperately. However when her eyes met his sky blue eyes, she knew it wasn't him.

"I could see how you would mistake me for my brother, we look quite alike, however our eye color is a dead giveaway." he states in a monotone voice. "I will cut to the chase and tell you why I am here. I am here because of the baby. Yes soft and innocent now, but without the right tutelage, he becomes a strong foe, who, along with Poseidon could challenge my rule. But I can't just sentence him and you to death or worse, Tartarus, because that did not go so well up on Olympus last time. So I am going to save both you and the boy. By taking the boy to New Rome, I will insure that his scent does not attract monsters to come and kill you. And by taking him to New Rome, he will come to respect the gods, and be a disciplined warrior."

Even though Zeus may have been saving them both from a life of hardship, Sally did not want her son to be ripped away from her, without her watching her boy grow and to care for him.

While moving Perseus to a more protective spot on the bed, Sally says simply, "No." to Zeus. "I am afraid you don't have a choice." and with that Zeus steped forward with haste, and took the baby from her arms. Immediately his aura flared, and when Sally opened her eyes, they were gone.

"My brother will be angry with me, but I cannot have you oppose me. You will be an outcast, nobody will respect a son of Neptune in New Rome. Now, off to Lupa." Zeus changed to his roman aspect, Jupiter, and soon was off to New Rome..

Appearing at the tunnel that lead into New Rome with the baby in his right arm, Jupiter strode confidently towards the guards. Once in sight, the guards on duty dropped into a deep bow declaring, "Lord Jupiter, it is but an honor."

Jupiter just continued on with his stride, head held high. Once inside the city, he made quick pace to Lupa, tired of being so close to his brothers spawn. Eventually after a few minutes walk, he came to a grand house, which Lupa would reside in when her pack was not in need of her, or there were no more demigods to guide. Not bothering to knock, Jupiter opened the door and walked into the house.

"What's with all the commotion?" shouted a woman as she entered the room. She was tall for a woman, standing an impressive six feet, and a lean body. Her eyes held wisdom, the fierceness of a wolf, but also the loving eyes of a protective mother. She was Lupa, Mother of Rome.

With a gasp she realized who it was, "My apologies Lord Jupiter, I didn't know you would be visiting today. What do I owe the pleasure?"

With a grumble to himself he explained the situation he was faced with the child. After he was done explaining what was to become of the child, he quickly exited the house without any form of a goodbye.

"Only Jupiter would be so cold as to put a greek demigod in with the romans. You will have to work hard young Perseus." Coincidently, Lupa just had this done to her recently by Hera, whom had brought a young son of Jupiter to her care.

"You will go and live with the pack and Jason, and learn to become a mighty warrior, to overcome being a greek demigod. I see greatness in your future Perseus, even though Jupiter was too blinded by his anger to see it."

With this said, she transformed into a wolf, one with piercing yellow eyes, and black and silver fur. She grabbed the baby Perseus, who was wrapped blankets that portrayed an image of the sea, and took off into the night. She ran faster than the eye could see, a blur of silver and black, as she raced off to meet up with the pack.

After ten minutes of sprinting at godly speeds, she made it to the pack. "Greetings, my lady." said her second in command named Dakota. "May I ask, why do you have a demigod baby, again?"

"I am sorry to put this upon you Dakota, but it is not my choice. This baby is the son of Poseidon, and since Aiyana (Dakota's mate) is already taking care of Jason, you are to watch over and train him."

"But I cannot train a greek demigod!" Dakota all but whined.

"Silence! There will be no complaints, what I say is what you will do. And I am trusting you to ensure young Perseus grows into a capable warrior, and a respectful man." Lupa commanded. "As you wish, my lady." Dakota replied obediently.

"Now, I am off back to New Rome, there are issues that I must attend to in the morning, goodnight Dakota." with this Lupa rushed off the way she came.

"Well now, time for bed." said Dakota as he put Perseus a ways about 10 yards from where the pack was. Just as Dakota lied down with the pack and closed his eyes, Perseus wailed loud enough to wake most other members of the pack. With an irritated growl, Dakota made his way to the baby.

"You're testing my patience demigod." Oblivious to Dakota's obvious irritation, Perseus stopped crying loudly and was sniffling. The young baby was memorized by the wolf's pale onyx eyes.

Growling, obviously irritated, Dakota picked up Perseus and went to lay down next to his mate. He could tell already from just being by the boy for a minute, he was going to be one hell of a challenge to train and discipline.

 **A/N: So what do you guys think? This is my first story, and I would appreciate any helpful criticism anyone has. One thing that I do not like in most others stories that will NOT happen in this story is, first off, Zeus will not be an idiot who tries to just kill everybody with his master bolt anytime someone opposes him. Another will be that Percy will not be all-powerful, and battle several gods and win with ease every time. I will try to update soon. My plans for length of chapters is to have longer chapters in the future, I wanted to just get the beginning of the story by itself. Until next time….**

 **Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the Percy Jackson series. I make no money from this story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Battle of Wolves**

It was morning after Lupa had deposited the child into Dakota's care and all was silent and still. The pack was out hunting for their breakfast. They had brought the children along to watch, and in case they needed their mentor's protection from monsters.

The wolves were stalking upon a doe, quietly and delicately. That was until a baby's wail echoed throughout the entire forest. The deer's head poked up from it's grazing, alerted to the predators surrounding it, and it broke off in a sprint to the deeper part of the forest.

The wolves knew they were no match in a race, so they retreated back to camp halfheartedly.

"I should've known not to bring this one along. All he's good for is screaming, and scaring off fine prey. The pack already doesn't like him." Dakota went off on a rant to Aiyana.

"Sometimes you have to learn to deal with hardships in your life, this is one of them. Besides, once the child gets older he won't be crying so much. You have to give him time to mature. And with your training, he'll become a fine warrior, plenty capable." she scolded Dakota.

With a snort Dakota says, "Easy for you to say, you're child isn't scaring off prey and wailing left and right!"

After their brief conversation they had to hurry up to catch up with the rest of the pack.

Once back at camp, it wouldn't take a mastermind to determine the wolves were unhappy. Anytime they missed a meal they'd be pouty and angry until they got to eat something. And most unhappy of them all was Sloan.

He was a massive wolf, the biggest in the pack, and was a brute, tearing through enemies in battle. However, he lacked the intelligence and cunning to become the second in command. Unlike Sloan, Dakota was strategic, and an intelligent fighter, who knew where to hit, instead of using brute force to win.

"Way to go Dakota, scaring off the prey with your child. Maybe we should just eat him, I'll save you the trouble over the years. It not only benefits you and me, but it also benefits the pack, we wouldn't lose future prey." Sloan smirked, thinking he had convinced Dakota on his plan.

"No, the child is to grow up with the pack, he will not be eaten. If you have any complaints, you can go to Lupa. For she is the one who assigned this task upon me. Most likely because you were to dumb of a choice." Dakota sneared at Sloan.

"And if any of you others have a problem, you can consult it with me!" growled Dakota. He then trotted off with Perseus on his back.

 _*Line Break*_

It had been two months since the child was put into Dakota's care, and not much had changed. Perseus would still cry whenever he was separated from Dakota, they had already formed a close bond, despite Dakota's irritance some of the time.

After the day where Sloan had threatened Perseus, Dakota had become very protective of him, and you could say that he softened up on him too. He had found the key to raising young Perseus, was to be gentle, and to not take a baby on the hunts.

"Come young one, it is time for you to bathe." Dakota said to the child as he picked him up and made his way to the stream.

This was one of Perseus' favorite things to do. He could already tell that the child had a strong connection to the water, even for a son of Poseidon.

Once he got to the stream, he dropped Perseus down by the water's edge and went to the tree line, to watch in the shade.

After a few minutes, Dakota visibly stiffened, he knew something was off. Instincts kicked in as he howled as loud as he could, to summon the pack, and then made his way swiftly to where Perseus lay. He picked up Perseus hastily and backed away from the stream.

Dakota's instincts and heightened senses had not failed him, as a large wolf emerged from the opposite tree line. The wolf had all black fur, stood an impressive five feet tall, and was rippling in muscle. He looked about the size of Sloan but a bit bigger. However the most startling thing was his eyes, a coal black, and a piercing gaze that inspired fear inside you.

Behind him emerged 13 other wolves of smaller proportions. Each one held a ruthless gaze, peering right at Dakota. Luckily, his distress call he made moments earlier had worked, as his pack of 12 others emerged, along with Lupa.

Lupa strided purposefully to the front of the pack and barked, "You have no business here Lycaon! Leave."

"The only reason me and my pack came is to retrieve the sea god's son is because my employer wishes to speak with him." Lycaon spat with distaste.

"Perseus is under the protection of me and my pack, he is one of us now. Either leave in retreat, or you and your pack will pay the price." Lupa stated confidently.

Tired of exchanging now meaningless words, Lycaon growled and surged forward with his pack through the stream. He made a direct route towards Dakota and the child, but was cut off by Lupa sprinting to intercept him.

With claws bared she went on the offensive, slashing downward with her two front paws, while leaping with her back legs. Lycaon jumped to into her attack, and wrestled her to the ground. He did not go unscathed however, as on the way down, Lupa made a gash down his left shoulder.

Wincing in pain, Lycaon limped back. The difference in fighting styles between the two was like night and day. Lupa was a graceful and calculating fighter, while Lycaon would storm in and use his size and strength to his advantage.

While the two alpha's were battling it out together, Aiyana had appeared at her mate's side, ready to fend off their foes. And she had arrived right in time, for two almost identical wolves appeared in front of them.

A battle with Lycaon's pack was not uncommon for Lupa's pack, and for this Dakota already knew his rival, Arch. He was about the same size as Dakota, a bit smaller, but he made up for it with intelligence. The small wolf was the second in command in his pack, as was an enemy not to be underestimated. Dakota had learned this firsthand by the scar that was stretched across his right back leg.

"What does your pack want with this demigod?" Dakota asked his rival. "Our packs employer says he sees untapped potential in the child. Besides, why would your pack even want a _Greek_ demigod in the first place?" Arch said the word _Greek_ like it was worst thing someone could possibly be.

Tired of talking to his enemy, Dakota took a quick, unexpected, swipe right into the face of his opponent. He could feel his claws rake across Arch's face, starting from right above his right eye, down his entire right side of his face. The wound began to bleed profusely and rendered his right eye blind.

Yelping in pain and surprise, Arch jumped back for a moment, and then proceeded to circle his enemy slowly. Immediately Arch shot forward like a bullet, while Dakota held his ground, waiting to intercept the charge. Muscles tense, Dakota was about to make a low leap towards Arch, when at the last second, Arch pushed to the right with his hind legs. Dakota was caught off guard as Arch drove his claws from Dakota's front shoulder, halfway down his ribs.

At this point, the battle was near the breaking point, both sides had already suffered losses. The wolves had made a half circle around Perseus and Jason, protecting them at all costs. Perseus was all but helpless as he watched the one who had taken care of him fight for his life.

Lupa and Lycaon were battling with ferocity, making dives, slashes, and bites at each other. However the tide turned in Lupa's favor as Lycaon tried to sink his teeth into her side, she bobbed out of the way and bit into his shoulder, and then ripped a chunk of his shoulder out.

Howling in seething pain, he called for his pack to retreat. Some of his pack members ran off, some limped, and two lay dead, left behind by their comrades.

However, Lycaons pack wasn't alone in losses, one of their own lay dead. Snow, an all white female, who was always cheerful and uplifting. Her mate sat by her side, mourning the loss of his mate for life. It was obvious that her death was already taking a toll on the pack.

Once they made it back to camp they went about tending wounds. Everyone was on edge about what Lycaon had said about his employer. If someone was powerful enough to persuade Lycaon's pack to openly attack their pack, it was anything but good.

"I'm proud of you all," Lupa said as she addressed the pack, "You stood together when we needed each other the most. And I am just as struck by Snow's death as everyone else is. It has come to my attention that I have been spending too much time away from the pack. For now on I will remain with you all, and help to fight whatever threats come our way." with this she walked off to her own space.

Dakota breathed a sigh of relief after the speech. Lupa had become a rare sight over the past two months, and the toll of always leading the pack and Perseus had started to wear him down.

Whoever this new threat was, he hoped they'd have time to recuperate and become stronger before it sent out something else at them.

 **A/N: Thanks for the reviews odee and dshznet44, they helped me get this chapter out sooner. I also have some things to ask all my readers, would you prefer shorter chapters and quicker updates, or longer chapters and slower updates? Also, I included a time skip in this one, would you guys want me to write out all of Percy's time as a baby and onwards, or make a time skip of some years (probably to around when he's 5) and include flashbacks? That is all my questions for now, thanks for reviewing, and as always, I appreciate any criticism you guys have, any ideas, and please review! Until next time….**

 **Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the Percy Jackson series. I make no money from this story.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: A New Weapon**

 **A/N: Sorry for the consfusion NoTearsFalling. First off, New Rome is the city in which demigods live in after fighting as a camper for ten years. New Rome is a place of refuge for retired campers, nature spirits, legacies, and minor gods. And sorry if it is confusing, but sometimes I refer to Camp Jupiter as New Rome. Technically they're not the same, so for now on, I'll keep the difference in my writing. Second, Dakota is wolf, not a demigod. The wolves can communicate telepathically, because obviously, they can't actually talk aloud. Lastly I don't know I said it wrong, but I was implying he was helpless. I guess the only other way I could of put it was, "He was entirely helpless." I don't usually make A/N at the beginning, but I wanted to answer your questions.**

 _*Currently Perseus is now 5 years of age*_

Over the next few months after the battle with Lycaon, the pack was tense. Everyone was on the lookout for danger, always looking over their shoulders on hunts. At night they would have a couple guards on the boundaries to ensure safety at all times.

They waited for an attack for six months, but it never came. The emptiness of the lack of attack on the wolves was unsettling. Eventually Lupa had to call off the constant guarding of the boundaries. However, they were still all paranoid, nobody had forgotten Snow's death.

 _*Line Break*_

Jason and Perseus had come to the age of five, rather rapidly as the wolves looked back on it. Though tough to get through Perseus's almost constant fits, Dakota and Aiyana had successfully made it through the baby and toddler years.

Now however, both of the young boy's had come to the age of the start of their training. When Perseus and Jason learned that they would be choosing their weapons today, both of them started bouncing up and down like they were going to the toy store. Little did Dakota know his troubles ahead.

"Perseus, focus and choose a weapon already." Dakota said with an exasperated sigh.

"But there is so many choices, there is hunting knives, and two-handed swords, and spears, and…." the youth trailed off.

"You've held nearly every weapon in the shed! You've tested the weights on all of the weapons, yet nothing seems to satisfy you." exclaimed Dakota in frustration.

"I think I have an idea as to solve both of your complaints." a new voice said as Lupa entered the conversation. She tended to stay in her human form, because she acted as a sort of motherly figure towards the boys. "We don't have quite the armory here, because wolves don't need weapons." she said as she wrinkled her nose at the sad pile of weapons that had almost never felt the warmth of wielder's hand.

"In order to satisfy Perseus rather picky taste, I happen to know the location of the best armory on the whole west coast." Lupa said pridefully. When this reached Perseus's ears, his eyes lit up like fireworks. "Where?! Where?!" Perseus asked excitedly.

Lupa gave him a stern look and said, "It is not a place where you can run around and touch whatever you like. We must go there in secrecy, for we cannot let our enemies learn of your existence."

Putting a somber look on, he nodded his head. Even though he wasn't old enough to remember what had happened, he had heard the story enough to know it's severity. The attack from Lycaon was a sore spot of topic for everyone in the pack.

Just then a certain blue eyed demigod with short blonde hair came into view. "Ooooooo, can I come along?!" Jason asked, jumping up and down.

"You can come along with us too, don't worry. However, we will go when it is dark, when we are concealed by the secrecy of night."

With this Lupa was off to check up on the oh-so-great armory, a.k.a. Camp Jupiter. She would find out how the guards there worked, and sneak in with the boys later that night.

Once out of view, Perseus leaned towards his mentor and asked innocently, "Do they have even more kinds of weapons where we is going tonight?"

"You never stop, do you kid?" sighed Dakota.

 _*Line Break*_

For the next few hours, Perseus and Jason were two balls of pure energy. They couldn't wait to get there hands on some quality weapons, and to see more choices.

When the sun had slipped under the horizon just under an hour ago, Lupa arrived to take the boys.

"Alright, it is necessary that you both stay quiet when I say, stop when I say, and follow my every command. We must be quick and stealthy. Also, we are on a limited time journey. Do you understand, Perseus?"

"Yes." he said with all the seriousness that the five year old could muster.

"Alright then, close your eyes, and don't open them until I say so." commanded Lupa. After ensuring that both of the boy's eyes were closed, she unleashed her godly form. Even with their eyes shut tight, the light was still intense.

"You can open your eyes now." Lupa whispered. Once their eyes were adjusted to the darkness, they both took in their surroundings. They sat at the bottom of a big hill, and on the top was a large building, lined with torches along the walls. The architecture was that of ancient Rome, and had several entrances into it.

"Follow me close, and don't stop unless I specifically say to." instructed the voice of Lupa.

And off they were, racing stealthily up the hill to the big building. Just as they got to the building, Lupa made the boys press their bodies tight against the building. Luckily for them, the torches weren't too many as to leave no dark spots along the wall. There was just enough torches to connect the light in front of the building, but left triangles of darkness along the wall.

Darting between the wedges of black, they made their way to the nearest door. Just as they neared the door, Lupa snapped her head up, and opened the door, hastily shoving the boys in, and closing the door swiftly.

Her hand was off the door, but still in the motion of taking her hand back when a feminine guard rounded the corner. The guard jumped, taken by surprise at the appearance of a figure in the light, and swung her sword upwards on instinct.

Lupa dodged the swing with little difficulty, and raised her eyebrows at the guard.

"Oh, my apologies Lady Lupa, you startled me. Not to be rude, by why do you happen to be here?" she asked as she lowered her weapon into a less threatening position.

"Decided to come check up on New Rome, as it has been a while, and I was on my way out. Sorry to startle you."

"It's all right Lady Lupa, besides it's always my pleasure to see you." with this the guard turned on a dime, and walked around the corner in which she had come.

With a sigh of relief, Lupa turned back, and snapped the door open, only to have two young boys come tumbling out of it. "Were you eavesdropping?" she asked slowly.

"Noooooooo, we tripped and fell." Perseus was already on his way to mastering the art of lying. While he said this, he looked up at Lupa with big green puppy dog eyes.

With a smirk she urged Perseus and Jason into the dark building. Once the door was closed, the glow of the torches extinguished on the inside, the room glowed all around. The golden glow of celestial bronze weapons lighting up the room.

The look on Perseus's face was pure awe, as with Jason, both struck dumbfounded at the sheer volume of the weapons. After a few seconds though, Jason and Perseus went darting around the room, taking in the sight, and inspecting every new weapon.

As usual, Jason made his choice a while before Perseus did. He chose a spear, one that had two points sticking out from either side, below the point of the spear. Thus making a cross near the top of the spear, allowing him to latch onto his enemies, or impale them in three different ways. Along with his spear, he chose two hunting knives, each of which had holsters that strapped onto each thigh.

Perseus was still looking for his choice of a weapon, as Jason was experimenting with his new ones. He was walking by a cabinet in the corner when an especially bright glow caught his eye. He reached toward the cabinet door, and opened it wider, the door's hinges squeaking in protest.

Inside was a medium sized sword, covered in dust. He took it out and blowed the dust off, testing it out with a few quick twists of the wrist. It felt like no other sword compared, it was light in his hand, but was heavy in reality, the reason it felt light to him, was because the sword was the perfect balance of weight.

"I think I found the one, Lupa!" shouted Perseus excitedly. On closer inspection, he found the inscription _Anaklusmos_ down at the bottom of the sword, right above the handle. He didn't know how he knew it, but somehow he knew it meant 'Riptide'.

"Well, don't idle children, we must make haste, we have already spent as much time here as we can." Lupa whispered urgently, as she grabbed both of the boys hands. Jason and Perseus both closed their eyes, remembering Lupa's warning from last time. After seeing both of their eyes closed, Lupa's aura flared yet again, and they were transported back to their pack.

"Dakota! Dakota! Look at my new weapon!" Perseus shouted after realizing where he was. By now almost all of the wolves were asleep, and most growled at the intrusion of their sleep.

"You must refrain yourself from shouting, child. Remember what happened last time Sloan awakened from your shouting?" Dakota said as he scolded the child.

Jason was about to shout to Aiyana about his experience at the armory too, but refrained himself after Dakota's scolding.

Violently nodding his head, Perseus stayed calm and quiet. Nothing would make him forget that experience. He decided his story could wait till morning as he and Jason went to lay in their cots that Lupa had gotten for them for their third birthday.

Soon the camp was quiet once again, and the peaceful group slept into the night.

 **A/N: Thanks so much for your replies everyone, I really appreciate the feedback. So I skipped to when Perseus is the age of five, and will probably be doing a few more time skips, but not after the age of 12. I know this isn't my best chapter yet, but I started band camp a couple days ago, and I'm busier now. I'm gonna be busy with band throughout next week, so probably some slower updates, but I promise I'll work some in. Who do you think the 'employer' is? I promise for a longer chapter soon. And if you have any criticism, ideas, or just comments on the story please review! Until next time…..**

 **Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the Percy Jackson series. I make no money from this story.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: A New Teacher**

 _*Perseus is now 8 years old*_

The clang of metal connecting against each other broke the bliss of a forest. Two boy's, each of eight years of age, were battling each other. One with short blonde hair, the other with long, untamed black hair.

Perseus was sweating profusely, from being at hard work sparring with Jason. It seemed like this was all they did, ever since they got their chosen weapons.

While Perseus had stepped back from their struggle to take a breather, Jason studied his opponent, searching for a weakness. Finally, tired of waiting, he attacked Perseus with renewed vigor, jabbing his spear towards Perseus.

Jumping to the left to avoid the sharp spear, he then stepped forward, extending his sword towards Jason as a counterattack. Jason then swiped his sword down with the shaft of his spear. While his spear was pointed down, Perseus then stepped on the end of his spear, and leveled his sword point to Jason's neck.

"Make that four to zero." Perseus said with a smirk. "Whatever bro, I'll get you next time. You just wait." Jason said with a scowl.

Just as they were about to start up again, they noticed their mentors were about upon them, and they lowered their weapons, waiting for them to reach them.

"How long do you two insist on fighting everyday? It's been four hours, give it a rest. You still have years of training to come." Dakota said as he came trotting into the clearing.

Through the years, Dakota, Aiyana, Jason, and Perseus had become their own family. They were still a part of the pack, but they all shared a closer bond. Dakota and Aiyana being the parents, taught Perseus and Jason many skills they would use throughout their lives.

 _ ***Flashback***_

 _Perseus and Jason were sitting around a fire, tossing a ball around. They were brothers all but in blood. Currently each was seven years old, they had only the very basics of fighting down._

 _Jason had just tossed the ball over the fire to Perseus, when all of the sudden a wolf jumped over the fire and caught the ball in his mouth. Surprised at the sudden visitor, both boys jumped back in alarm._

" _Never let your senses down, always be aware of your surroundings. We start survival training now." said Dakota as he morphed into his human form._

 _He stood a short 5'8". However, he was lean and muscular, and had long black hair, streaked with grey, that fell down to his shoulders, his bangs pushed to the sides. He wore a simple white t-shirt with jeans. His feet were bare however._

 _Both boys looked upon him with gaping mouths. Never before had they seen any other pack member but Lupa turn into a human._

" _What are you to staring at?" Dakota snarled. "We've never seen you turn into a human before." Perseus said as he looked over at Jason, to find the same astonished expression written on his face._

" _Yeah well, better get used to it. Aiyana convinced me that it would be easier to teach you in this form." he said with contempt. "Follow me. It's time you learned how to hunt." he said before he broke into a jog to the north, grumbling along the way._

 _They came to a sight they had only seen once before. A dilapidated shack, that held the only weapons of the pack. Dakota swung the door open as it's rusty hinges screamed in protest._

 _Both boys winced at the sound. Dakota then reached into the shed and pulled out a large bow and a quiver, containing about 25 razor sharp arrows._

" _But Dakota, I didn't know you knew how to use a bow?" said Perseus curiously looking at the bow in his hands._

" _One of the few weapons of man that I'm decent with. Sometimes it is required for pack members to be in their human form, and they have to be able to at least use one weapon of choice. My choice was a bow." Dakota explained while understanding dawned on the boys face._

" _What was Aiyana's choice?" asked Jason, curious of his own mentor's weapon._

" _She will show you soon." came Dakota's mysterious reply._

" _Now, before you choose a hunting weapon, you must learn to stalk prey without being found out. This skill will be useful both in hunting and in fighting. Never forget the weight surprise holds in a battle, both of you." Dakota lectured as he was walking to the east, away from the pack._

 _Dakota stopped dead in his tracks, and looked down to the forest floor. "Lucky for us, it rained last night, which makes it easy to spot fresh tracks in the mud. Look closely," he said pointing down to the damp mud, "it looks like a group of deer passed through here, not more than about six hours ago. We must make haste, but stay silent, watch where you walk, and no talking. Try to glide on your feet, stay low to the ground, and stay in the shadows." with this, he moved swiftly off in the direction of the tracks._

 _The two young boys followed Dakota's example, and did as he did to the best of their ability. Perseus knew firsthand that Dakota wasn't very relentless when he messed up, so he tried his hardest to hold his tongue, and not to step on any twigs._

 _The pattern of the boys rushing to keep up with Dakota, stepping on a twig with a 'SNAP' in the process, and Dakota wincing and turning around to glare at the two._

 _Just as Perseus opened his mouth to complain about how they had been going, roughly four hours, Dakota abruptly stopped, leaving the boys to trip over each other to not bump into him. When they both narily missed him, they breathed a sigh of relief._

 _Turning to the two with a raised eyebrow, he whispered, "Look ahead, see the deer?"_

 _Once he saw both boys nod their heads he said in a hushed voice, "Follow by what I do, stay as low to the ground as you can."_

 _Dakota took the bow off that was strung around his shoulder, put it in his right hand, and crouched beneath the top of the three foot tall grass._

 _Once both boys knees were aching, they came upon a huge tree, with a three and a half foot radius, at the edge of the clearing the deer were grazing in. Dakota slowly stood from his crouch, back pressed to the tree, to conceal himself from the deer. When the boys went to also stand, he motioned for them to stay down, but to watch from the side of the tree he was against._

 _In a few seconds, the boys were in position to watch silently. Dakota then took an arrow from his quiver, and drew the bow back. The arrow rubbing up against the bow made a slight scratching noise, and the closest deer, a buck with a huge twelve point rack, picked its head up from the grass and looked in Dakota's direction._

 _Both boys thought he was done for sure, but in the instant it picked its head up, Dakota let the arrow fly. The length of the deer's body was facing him, so it was a relatively easy shot._

 _With a 'thump' the arrow embedded itself into the deer's heart, an instant kill. By the time the buck dropped to the ground, all the other deer were bolting out of the clearing._

" _H-he actually g-got it." stammered an amazed Perseus._

" _You seem surprised?" questioned Dakota with a raised eyebrow._

 _Not waiting for a response, he got out from behind the tree and went to the fallen deer. He then took out a gutting knife and went to work._

 _Most kids the age of Jason and Perseus would be gagging at the sight of Dakota gutting the deer, but after living with the pack their whole life, they were used to the gore._

 _Once he was done gutting the deer, he sawed off the the antlers. Closing his eyes, he thanked Lady Diana for a successful hunt and then sacrificed the antlers to her._

 _Smirking at the boys Dakota said, "It's always nice to be on the good side of the goddess of the hunt. Alright, now we have to take this back to camp. I'll take the front legs of the buck, and you two will each take a back leg."_

 _Five hours later, a grumpy Dakota, and two sweaty boys stumbled into camp. Immediately, the boys dropped the buck off their shoulders, leaving Dakota to hold the weight. Dakota's head snapped back as he glared at the two, but they were already walking over to to start up the fire again._

 _He just shrugged the deer higher up onto his shoulders, and went in search of Aiyana. He found her practicing with two hunting knives on a few straw dummies she had made for the boys after they had got their weapons._

 _Even though she had not handled the knives for a couple of years, she was still skillful with them. Darting around the standing straw figures, she was graceful, yet deadly. She had just gotten done slashing one's stomach open, when she threw the one in her right hand into a dummy that was 15 yards away, next to a tree. Then she whipped her head to the side and threw her other knife into a tree that Dakota was leaning on._

" _How did the hunt go?" she asked in a monotone voice._

 _With wide eyes Dakota answered, "It wasn't too bad for their first time, although Perseus did complain a bit. Got a pretty good sized buck. Would you help me out with butchering and smoking it?" Dakota asked hopefully._

 _She nodded her head and then smirked and said, "He gets the complaining from you, now set that down and I'll get started on the hut for drying it. Go get the boys so I can teach them the process."_

 _With a tired nod, he went to go retrieve the boys. He found them with droopy eyes, tending the now inferno of flames._

" _Your job isn't done yet, Aiyana is going to show you how to prepare the meat now. I'll take care of the fire, don't you worry." Dakota announced while smiling._

 _Both boys rubbed their eyes, grumbling about how it wasn't fair, and got up to go to Aiyana. They met here by a little ways from where the straw dummies they practiced on were. She was sharpening some knives, getting ready to butcher up the meat._

" _You must be able to butcher and prepare your meat, after you get it. I will do a third, to demonstrate, then you two will each do a third." she explained as she stopped sharpening the knife, and bent down to the carcass._

 _About ten minutes later, she had a third of the meat hanging from tree branches, she promptly sat down, and motioned for the to start._

 _They both had a brief look of disgust, before they got to work. Aiyana got started on the hut, and made glances at the boys every once in while, to ensure they were butchering it correctly._

 _Soon she had a teepee, and sticks in the middle of it, running horizontal across the inside of the teepee. They were spaced enough apart so that the meat wouldn't fall. There was also a pit dug in the middle of the inside of it, with stones surrounding it, about two feet down, and a three foot diameter. The teepee itself was five feet in diameter, and had a doorway in the front._

 _Once she was done constructing the teepee, she turned and found that the boys had just finished._

" _Go gather firewood, enough to burn all night." Aiyana instructed the boys, as they nodded, well, Perseus yawned in response._

 _While they were gathering the wood, she put the meat on the poles that ran through the teepee. After she was done with that, the boys had gathered a large pile of wood, which was deposited outside the teepee doorway._

 _They then all got together, Jason, Perseus, and Aiyana, and starting up a small fire inside of the teepee. Once the fire was going, Aiyana covered the doorway with a couple of large, leafy, branches._

 _Aiyana told them that they could go to sleep now, they were almost falling over each other they were so tired. They didn't even bother to go back to their fire, they fell asleep on the ground, outside the teepee._

 _Over the course of the year, they all had their own steady supply of smoked deer jerky. This was just one of the many days of tiring work that they would come to experience. However, this brought them even closer together, making a family in all but blood. Perseus and Jason gained much knowledge and experience from their mentors over the year._

 _ ***End of Flashback***_

With a smirk Perseus replied, "I'll train until I am good enough to beat you one on one."

"Then you better get back to training, because that'll never happen." replied Dakota. "Sure it won't. You just wait, I'll catch you off guard eventually."

Aiyana just shook her head as she observed the two's playful banter.

"Alright, it's time to train a different set of weapons." Dakota stated, his mood turning a bit more serious. Both boys heads perked up at the mention of weapons. "It is always a good idea to have a backup weapon, and in this case, it will be a weapon of range. Whether that means a bow, throwing knives, etc."

Both boys nodded their heads, then looked and smirked at each other. Instead of toys, like normal kids their age would get as a gift, they got new weapons, or things done to their weapons. Such as, for a gift for Perseus, his sword was able to turn into a pen. Whereas Jason's spear turned into a wrist watch.

"Remember how me and Aiyana left for a few days, two weeks ago?" asked Dakota. Seeing as both boys nodded their heads, he continued. "Well, we were actually going in search of ranged weapons, and we've gathered a couple bows, and quivers of arrows. If a bow doesn't suit you, then we have throwing knives as a backup." Dakota was talking as he walked, the boys crunching on leaves and branches behind.

Leaves of a multitude of color coated the ground. Seeing as it was fall, the trees had started to shed their leaves, in exchange for bare, skinny branches. It was turning to dusk, and the trees casted shadowy hands, grasping for anything within reach.

Dakota stopped at a large maple tree, one that Perseus and Jason would often sleep at, sometimes Dakota and Aiyana would join them.

Dakota pulled out a bundle from underneath the leaves, as Aiyana did the same. Each mentor motioned for their pupil to come closer. Both of them unravelled the packages, revealing boys, and a quiver of arrows each.

"A target has been arranged 30 yards down to the right, one for each of you, your training with the boys starts now. If you practice for a week with no success, then you will have the option of throwing knives. I will be showing you both how to use the bow properly, as I am more experienced with a bow than Aiyana is." Dakota got a glare as he said this. "However, she will be teaching you how to use throwing knives if needed." he said, looking uncomfortable.

With a stiff nod of the head, Aiyana turned and went off to check up on the pack.

Five minutes later, a grumpy Dakota walked back from the firing range, and took a seat on a log. The reason for his unhappiness lied with Perseus. He asked so many questions his head hurt. Firing a bow wasn't _that_ difficult, but he still found room to ask so many questions that Dakota's head hurt.

First up was Jason, as he strung the bow up with an arrow, pulled back, let it rest while he aimed, and then let it fly. The arrow flew through the air swiftly, and then a 'thunk' was heard as the arrow made contact with the target. It had hit the second to last ring, on the bottom right side of the target.

Perseus however, was a completely different story, as he pulled the bowstring back, and let it go, the arrow turned sharply to the right, and shot off at a completely different direction.

Dakota's eyes widened in surprise at how, the better of the two boys with weapons, completely missed the target. However, he decided to sit back, and see how his next few arrows went.

After a few more shots from Perseus, he decided that five arrows lost was enough. Just as he was pulling back his sixth arrow, eyebrows crinkled in concentration, Dakota interrupted him.

"Woah, hold up. I think that six five arrows is enough. You know, those arrows weren't easy to get." Dakota scolded. "It has become evident that you are clearly not a natural with a bow. I think that you'll have to move on to throwing knives a little ahead of schedule." he finished.

With a sigh Perseus said, "You didn't give me enough time to practice, I would've gotten better, come on, give me another try." he whined.

"Hmmmmm, let me think…..no." was the monotone reply that he got. After Dakota had made his answer obvious, he turned on his heel and marched in the direction Aiyana had gone off in briefly before.

Perseus was left running to catch up with Dakota, whom was taking long, fast paced strides. Perseus tripped over a branch, but stopped himself from falling face first into the ground.

Eventually, once he got even with Dakota, he asked, "Where are you going?" gasping for air right after he finished his question.

"To the pack, I'm going to sleep now." he said this as he glanced over at the horizon. A pinkish orange hew lay over the sky, as if painted by the brush of an artist.

Perseus caught himself staring at the beautiful scene before him, but then he went on, wanting to see if Aiyana would show him the throwing knives.

After a few stumbles, some crashes, and falls, Perseus managed to make it to the pack at the same time as Dakota. He stopped and looked around, searching for Aiyana. He was about to ask someone where she was, when someone grabbed, and picked him up from behind.

He tried to break free, but the grasp of the person holding him held firm. Just as he was about to start yelling for help, he landed face first on the ground in a heap.

His head snapped up, alarmed, only to come to see the sight of a snickering Aiyana.

With a groan he whined, "Don't sneak up on me like that, you freaked me out!"

"Don't be a baby." Aiyana said as she turned her back to him, looking out over the forest.

The wolves would set up camp at high ground whenever they stopped, they wanted as many defense advantages as possible. Seeing as they were usually in California, to stay close to New Rome, they usually slept in the mountains. Not only could they see the surrounding area, it also made it hard for any attackers to climb up the mountainside.

She stood overlooking a cliff, watching the sun being pulled down by Apollo. The temperature was starting to drop. Leaves fell from the trees, as a slight breeze blew through the mountain tops.

Perseus broke the blissful silence with a cough, "Ummmm….it turns out that I'm not very good with a bow…...I didn't hit the target once." he stated uncomfortably.

"Well that's not something I can fix. But there is an alternative. Not many use throwing knives, because many look at the disadvantages before the advantages. They certainly cannot have the range of a bow, they cannot be used by legions at a distance, they aren't a weapon used for suppression. However the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Concealment, close to medium quarters combat, they can be used as a melee weapon if you're desperate, the list goes on." she had began her lecture on the usefulness and truth behind the art.

"If you do wish to learn the art, then there is several things you must understand beforehand." she looked pointedly at Perseus, whom vigorously shook his head up and down.

"It requires hours of practice, lots of skill, and most important, patience. Using a sword or bow comes naturally to people, but throwing knives are a backup, and do not come naturally to anyone. This is why it requires more practice. Once you start your training under me, I will not allow you to give up. Do you agree to the terms I've set?" she asked putting her hand out for Perseus to shake.

"I will try my hardest." he stood firm, and shook her hand.

"Training starts at sunrise tomorrow, don't be late, you'll regret, trust me." with that she switched to her wolf form, and ran off into the night.

Perseus hoped to himself that he had made the right choice. He shivered as he just realized that the sun had gone down behind the horizon. A shiver racked his body, as he began his jog back to camp.

 **A/N: I'm sorry guys, I know I've let you guys down. This** **is** **my first story, and I just have had a lot going on, and honestly, I didn't have much motivation. Hopefully you guys think this chapter is decent, it's kind of a filler. For the next chapter, I will try to get it up within one to two weeks, but I will never again leave this story for as long as I did unless I truly do abandon it, and in that case I will tell you guys. Sorry if there are some errors in this chapter, the person who typically proof reads my story didn't do it this chapter. As always, please, please, please, REVIEW, FAVORITE, FOLLOW! Help motivate me! Until next time…..**

 **Disclaimer: Rick Riordan owns the Percy Jackson series. I make no money from this story.**


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